The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for cooking foodstuffs, including, but not limited to, a cooker for use in cooking garlic. Apparatus and methods for use in cooking garlic are known. Garlic is one of the oldest and most popular flavoring herbs in the world having been used as a food and medicine for centuries by all cultures. Over two hundred million pounds of garlic are produced annually in the United States. Roasted garlic is a favorite appetizer both in homes and restaurants and there are many recipes that call for its addition. Typically, garlic is cooked in a container or simply wrapped in aluminum foil that is placed in an oven. Usually oil is added to the container before the container with garlic inside is placed in a conventional oven at 350 to 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. At lower temperatures the cooking time is increased. Multiple compartment garlic cookers that are also placed in the oven allow for basting of the garlic, but cooking times are approximately the same.
There are a number of problems with existing cookers used to cook garlic. For cookers that are placed in a conventional oven, cooking times are long and the cooking wastes a large amount of energy, particularly, when cooking only one or a few bulbs of garlic. Garlic cooked in oil becomes soft and difficult to remove from the cooker of when cooked at high temperatures or for long times, garlic may dry out.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus for and method of more efficiently cooking small quantities of garlic that reduces garlic cooking time and energy, produces moist cooked garlic, and facilitates the removal of cooked garlic from the cooker.